Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Monday, July 24, 2006
Reminder: This is "normal" for our culture
Absolutely right Mickey...great article about cluster bombs and core values. The press keeps referring to the taking of the 2 Israeli soldiers as a “kidnapping”. When they do it it’s a “kidnapping”. When we or our puppets do it, it is called “capturing”. We are “soldiers”. They are “terrorists”. We do “collateral damage”. They target civilians. The press is a bigger problem than Bush/Rummy/Rice/et al. If the press just gave the facts maybe the usa’ers would get it. Can anyone name just one honest news reader on the msm? You and I and the rest of us here continue to shovel against the tide.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 07/24 at 06:43 AMI second RMJ. But as to this bit of your post Mickey…
we must take immediate and dedicated action...but remember: such action will do little or nothing to change the overall societal mindset. What about the inevitable next wave of invasions, bombings, etc. by nations, governments, and militias on all sides?
...my feeling is that the goal must be the taking of dedicated action. Changing the societal mindset cannot be the goal; it must be the process. I think we have to build in ourselves a habit not of always responding to the latest outrage but in consistent opposition to violence and the development of alternatives.
Posted by Keir on from The Hague 07/24 at 06:59 AMRight on, Friends. Whatever small gestures and statements we can incorporate into our daily routines or routing reactions should be aimed at a more peaceable society. This must at this time include vocal opposition to all war. Picking and choosing defeats the purpose (if one’s aim is some significant, rather than relative peace.)
A respectable MSM journalist??? Neil MacDonald used to report from Israel more than a few years back but he got into too much red tape for his refusal to refer to the settlements as being in anything other that ‘Occupied Territories’. Now he works in the Washington bureau where he still manages to get a little saucy but nothing shocking, to be sure (like unvarnished truth!?). He’s as close to what I could call respectable.FYI: IFAW is doing work to move animal shelters in southern Lebanon to safer areas...a bomb has landed 400m from one shelter and you can imagine the animals’ distress.
Posted by Amelopsis on from Canada 07/24 at 07:39 AMHello RMJ, Keir, and Empress. The power is still on and the weather is nice. As of now, all is well in Astoria.
Keir: I understand and appreciate your point but I somewhat disagree. I think we must do whatever we can to help people wherever we can...but the goal<> has to be more than just putting out fires. If we stay focused on small picture, short term...<i>they will continue to focus on big picture, long term. Like this:
http://tinyurl.com/mfm3nPosted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 07/24 at 08:36 AMHi you three and Mickey and anyone I might simultype over… (and Mudge in advance, with anti-angina whammies!). So, “Whatever small gestures and statements...”, “Changing the societal mindset cannot be the goal; it must be the process”, “consistent opposition to violence and the development of alternatives”... now, I think I periodically leave some periodic comment to this effect, but let me get this straight-- we’re talking about what seldom conversations with co-workers or passers-by we get into, or posts we make on our own blogs, or comments we leave on Mickey’s, right?
In other words, effectively no difference at all, right? Of course I mean no disrespect by this, but I’ve been getting sickened how in recent days I spend so much time following the mid-east disaster (whatever it’s being called now), and so little time actually understanding it, let alone being able to ever, you know, DO anything about it.
I guess I’m getting increasingly depressed about not being able to find a steady day job as I’d hoped by now, but still, the futility of so much else is wearing me. Even within that, assuming there is no dent that any of us will make on anything, I’m still frustrated that my insights into the situation seem to consist of that Isreal uses massively disproportionate force against lots of innocent civilians, and they commmit these war crimes with the U.S. gov’ts direct assistance. Which is still probably more than most MSM media-fed people get (but hey, what does MSM stand for?), but I still have only the dimmest sense of historical context of the situation, and I don’t really understand who Hezbollah are how they thought it was a good idea to capture those soldiers (now how they thought they were justified in doing so, that’s different), and why it’s okay for Hezz to operate within Lebanon independently of the Lebanese governement. Or do they even do so, or is that just something that the Lebanese just say, and what is the whole relationship between the real gov’t there and Hezzbolah (one Z or 2)?
Anyway, back to emailing out resumes…
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 07/24 at 08:52 AMJames I also have a limited understanding of Hisbollah (no idea on the correct spelling...I suspect it varies with dialects) but for that it’s served as a tremendous social safety net of infrastructure where a vaccuum was created during previous wars and the miscellany of the associated political manoeuvering. They fund entire hospitals, schools, supply water, repair homes of individuals at no cost and generally help keep a society knit together. Obviously they have political motivations which seem to promote a less than peaceful existance with an Israeli state, but those details are where my lack of knowledge is evident...other than the obvious protection of a sovereign people’s land from Israeli incursion, I have little understanding of the relationship between Hisbollah and the Lebanese govt.. I hypothesize that this is an uncomfortable status quo wherein the govt. realises it cannot afford to replace Hisbollah monetarily in the regions where they do so much social work, and so they maintain this balance of power. Syria is now loathe to intervene since they just left (talk about conflicting messages!) and the whole place seems to be left to its own devices = Israel will stop when they’re good and ready. I suspect this will not be until after some 3rd party is firmly in place, ready and waiting to secure water rescources for the Israeli state along with more land.
Captcha says “order”, I say chaos. (I hope this sounds even remotely sensible...I seldom re read before I post my comments!)
Posted by Amelopsis on from Canada 07/24 at 09:53 AMHey thanks Amelopsis, your response is helpful both for what you mention about Hezzbolah, and that you seem to share my frustration to some extent. Even the least biased sources out there seem to repeat the litany of Isreali atrocitys w/o really elaborating enough for the layman like myself. That’s great if Hezzbolah does do a lot of charitable work, but it seems to me that if Lebanon were to be taken seriously in international negotiations, it’s government would have to have complete more complete control over armed factions in its borders, and that doesn’t seem likely any time soon.
Wait, all that didn’t really come out quite right. I don’t know, something in Lebanon has to change, and I sure don’t know what it’s going to be. Probably nothing good anytime soon.
It all reminds me of this:
Still what the world is today.
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 07/24 at 10:27 AMSome context:
http://tinyurl.com/rjk7cPosted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 07/24 at 10:58 AMYet another spelling of Hiz, Hez… ahh, whatever, pardon me as I’m in full proofreading mode since someone called me after seeing my resume on Monster.com and wants me in for an ASAP test and interview! So thank again, will read more later, but never let it be said that all this websurfing doesn’t get us anywhere! Be back later…
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 07/24 at 11:24 AMJames
Good luck on your interview!
Posted by Canadian Observer on from 07/24 at 11:32 AMGood luck James!
Thanks for the context, MZ...reading now
Posted by Amelopsis on from Canada 07/24 at 12:27 PMhmm. Can’t access that article Mickey. Maybe just too much traffic there?
Posted by Amelopsis on from Canada 07/24 at 12:42 PMEmpress (and others): I’ve added a video to the main post. Even if you cannot use sound, it’s useful because the words are transcribed.
As for that other link, I’ll try to find it again.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 07/24 at 12:57 PMFound it:
http://tinyurl.com/kx7fbPosted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 07/24 at 12:59 PMThanks MZ.
Regarding US ‘aid’ to Israel...US tax dollars go toward funding approximately 75% of Israeli military spending.
Without the US taxpayers’ donations, Israel would not have the ability to act so aggressively.Posted by Amelopsis on from Canada 07/24 at 01:13 PMHey Mickey, hey everyone.
I like the loosely allegorical Bonds tale.Like Prof Noam says, every few years ‘we’ officially forget, those things we did were aberrations, won’t do it again we promise, brave new dawn - and get ready for a whole new round of ‘aberrations’. (paraphrasing slightly there)
On a lighter note, Duck Soup was on earlier. Never seen it before, I liked the bits with Groucho. Um, yeah.
Captcha - “Later”.
Posted by Mew on from sarf lundon 07/24 at 01:44 PMHey Mew. I can’t get enough Duck Soup, truth be told. I used some of it here:
http://www.selvesandothers.org/article12991.htmlPosted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 07/24 at 02:07 PMAbsolutely brilliant post, Mickey! One wants to underline every word. The ‘reporting’ in Australia is along the same lines as in the US btw.
‘Hello’ to Rosemarie, Keir, Amelopsis, Canadian observer and Mew from a rather cold Daylesford where it is 6:10 am on a Tuesday morning.
Be well, Helga
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 07/24 at 03:10 PMHi Helga, Mew, Mickey, James, Amelopsis, Keir, Canadian Observer, and anyone I missed…
Speaking about Canadians, yesterday Canadian Bacon was on. It helped dilute the dark mood I am in these days. Does anyone out there share my appreciation for that simple type of humor?About Hezbollah...I have always thought of it as sort of like the Black Panthers on steroids...or maybe a band of Robin Hoods with an attitude. If they had better funding, fancier western style uniforms, and a lot of fighter jets we would just think of them as an Air Force, right?
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 07/24 at 04:34 PMAnd Amelopsis, another respectable journalist working in the MSM is surely Robert Fisk, along with a few of his colleagues at ‘The Independent’.
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 07/24 at 04:34 PMHelga, we were symultyping. Yes, Robert Fisk is one of the rare ones. Unfortunately, most in the usa have never heard of him. We need to clone him. It would take a thousand Fisks to have an impact OR, it would take 1 Fisk on a thousand radio and TV stations. ...Time now for everyone to look again at the Fisk photos.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 07/24 at 04:42 PMSo CatLady, what’s the news re:ASAP testing?!?
Back after a painful transit. Poverty sucks bad.
BTW, the only country in the world that should get a pass on military extremism is Israel. It’s only fair since the Holocaust is the thing we’re paying them reparations for...and I mean every living being on the planet owes on this one.
Want peace? Give ‘em the land they took in 1967 and 1973, and stop muttering about “death to Israel” and bombing the cities. Otherwise, I’m all for the country surviving the best way it can, and if some folks die...well, are we up to 6 million yet?
Posted by Mudge on from Austin, Texas 07/24 at 04:45 PMMudge...I agree, POVERTY SUCKS. I think it was MLK who said that poverty is a form of violence.
I agree about the reparations for the survivors and descendants of the Holocaust, BUT it was not exactly the Palestinians who are responsible for the Holocaust. Here’s the solution to the problem---Restore the Mid-east borders to what they were in 1940 and relocate the State of Israel to Germany.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 07/24 at 05:01 PMHello again, all.
Mudge: Before I respond, let me ask: Are you serious with comment #22?
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 07/24 at 05:06 PMMudge! And everyone else. Thanks for the well wishes, and so hey-- I aced this proofreading test, and so the agency was able to set me up for an interview for steady work on Thursday morning! So I still can’t change the carnage overseas, but I might be able to handle the slaughter being done to my bak account each month. I’m too wiped out to read the links and stuff above, but wanted to check in.
I was unclear-- was there a problem with links there? There’s both a Finklestein, and a ZMag one. I’ll read them both later, thanks again! And Mudge, not quite clear what you’re trying to say, that the holocaust somehow justifies all the Lebanese civilians being killed now, but like I wrote this morning, there’s plenty I’m confused about so I’ll read up more later.
Hoo-ray, so far! Thanks again.
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 07/24 at 05:10 PMCongratulations, James.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 07/24 at 05:12 PMI just simultyped over RMJ and Mickey… RMJ I almost agree, but your plan would displace a lot of my grandfather’s relatives… hm, what to do?
(dad was Danish, mom’s side from Germany. And eclectic mix, I know)
Mudge, move back up here-- sure the rent is higher, but there’s more job opportunities for one of you sophistication. Plus this distance is too much of a strain on me sometimes.
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 07/24 at 05:13 PMCongrats, CatLady.
Btw, Wall Street Journal sez: “Thank god for those bunker busters."
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 07/24 at 06:50 PMgreat post and great comments.
Apparently Bush is going to send humanitarian aid to Lebanon http://tinyurl.com/f5xzf what will be its contents, a soggy peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a free yellow daisy cutter in every pack? http://tinyurl.com/o92wz That Snow guy claims the U.S. is the first on the scene but this is a lie. Israel Must Provide Safe Passage to Relief Convoys http://tinyurl.com/nax6e
Lebanese TV Channel Questions Number of Holocaust Victims and Hosts Norman Finkelstein, Author of “The Holocaust Industry”: http://tinyurl.com/opyzhfinally like to add that I really enjoyed the Blackouts and Urban Cavemen story. the images, the juxtaposition of the earth stars with the zillion stars in the sky, the crimson colored planet, the comparison of the subway tunnels with a cave. It resembles a nice painting composed with a writing pen or should I say keyboard instead of a paintbrush.
Posted by TM on from 07/24 at 07:04 PMThanks, TM...much appreciated.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 07/24 at 07:42 PMHi folks
Helga re post 20 - Fisk was on the cover of today’s Independent with a nice line on the Israeli massacres. A good juxtaposition, and I regret not being able to mention more detail but at this stage of the evening / night I just can’t; but it was a great front page. Here’s the article:
Mudge, not sure the Israelis have the right to take back 6 million lives in return for all the Jews murdered in the Holocaust, you naughty contrarian, you! Otherwise if they get to 6,000,001 that would mean yet another innocent death. Ah me how it piles up!
James, best for the interview. Remember, turn up on time, sober and without any passing stages of caffeine tension on your face. I messed up a fair few interviews by drinking coffee nervously an hours or so beforehand and basically twitching my way out of a job.
Love to all the Expendable nation.
Posted by Chris Wood on from ridiculously hot & sunny Manchester 07/24 at 08:20 PM
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